Note: All reviews by Blackchain119 are based solely on the anime itself and ignores all related manga; if the story does not hold up in the anime, no matter what length it is, then they failed in their efforts to make an effective, engaging show.

Overview:

Starting slow, the show quickly picks up speed until reaching the turbulence of an emotional rollercoaster.

The Good

Voice actors: The characters are voiced very well, in one case adding to the comedy aspect by having one character speak in random English phrases. Above all, the choice of voice actors adds best to the quiet, thoughtful moments.

Visuals: From gentle visual caress to severely brutal beating, the most powerful visuals (in my mind) come in the opening: gorgeous, bright, and emoting the underlying themes of the show.

Music: The music in the show is great, but it is dwarfed by the unbelievable opening song. It etches itself into your memory and never gets old. The piano track complements the show perfectly.

Character Development: Backstories are kept hidden for plot purposes, but the slow reveal is not just an unfolding of each character's story, but an unfolding of the characters themselves. They are diverse, lamentable pasts, and the viewer can see how the characters have developed from the secret pasts to the visible present. Elegantly constructed characters.

Story: While I cannot agree with the use of the amnesia cliché, it is easily and quickly forgiven upon reaching episode two. As the story builds an atmosphere of defiance, unfairness and rejection, the emotional prevalence in the story shifts to a very powerful philosophical standpoint of understanding and acceptance.

The Bad

Cliché: Amnesia is an overused trope in anime.

The Ugly

From my personal perspective, I felt like the first episode was not engaging enough. It was funny, had a clever concept, but it did not well represent the sheer depth the show would inevitably reach. For me, the greatest fault of this show is the first episode, and its lack of a more significant hook.

Final Impressions

Despite the fact the first episode was not very engaging, the second episode more than makes up for this with story character building, an examination of their points of view, and a glimmer of what we are going to experience. A fantastic show of significant quality, and a must see for the philosophically minded.

I didn't see it as a fuck up. I just assumed we don't have a grasp on how time works in purgatory; who gets there first and who gets there second? Do people go there immediately, or are they held for different amounts of time in a state of non-existence before showing up?

It could potentially be that time works in a different fashion in their Eternity, or simply doesn't really exist at all. I thought of it like how Chrono Trigger explained the End of Time: it's just the place where lost things end up, from across all different times and converging onto the same plane of existence.

That was my impression anyway, and you are entitled to your opinion, but I didn't see it as a glaring issue; just part of the largely underexplained system of purgatory. If they had a full 25 episode season instead of the half, maybe they would have answered with something similar.

Btw: try not to leave spoilers; I try very hard to leave opinion without giving away the story.